©川上泰樹・伏瀬・講談社／転スラ製作委員会 ©柴・伏瀬・講談社／転スラ日記製作委員会
Okay, now that we're at what seems like the end of this arc, let's talk about why it's more of a disappointment: the villains. To be honest, we don't know enough about them. We don't know their origins or larger goals. We don't even know why they want Hinata dead or Rimuru dead for that matter. What are the benefits? What would they gain from a fight with the death of their god's favorite pawn or a fight with Tempest?
Without knowing their motives, the Clerics of Seven Day seem like a group of one-dimensional, mustachioed villains, doing evil for evil purposes. (I mean, they even have a signature evil laugh.) That doesn't make them interesting, nor does it make them feel like a legitimate threat.
To be fair, this season largely avoided this problem by having Hinata take on the reluctant villain role. But even she was somewhat mishandled. Why is it only here, two episodes after her climactic battle with Rimuru, that we learn her true backstory? It greatly influences her character and explains how she views the world. Heck, I wish an entire episode had been devoted to it. The flashback montage we get feels like a huge waste of potential.
This doesn't help this episode either, especially since the action is nothing more than our heroes standing in the villains' magic circle, taking their ultimate attacks as if they are nothing, then one blow kills them later. It all just feels very anticlimactic.
All that said, I will admit that, if nothing else, this arc succeeded in doing what it set out to do: resolve Hinata's situation. However, when she is no longer a threat to Rimuru, what are we left with? What dangers do our heroes face? Some old man and his creepy niece barely create any real tension at the moment (though this could always change as we learn more about them).
Anyway, with all the recent conflicts resolved, we can finally get back to what has become the real core of Tensura: boardroom meetings, where you Our heroes discuss the future and plan parties.
Evaluate:
Random thoughts:
Rimuru understands that you can attack first, right? You don't have to face every enemy attack head-on. (And while the bad guys have some sort of magical neutralizing field, he could just shoot lasers at them like he did with the entire Falmuth army, right?)
→ What will Luminous do to Hinata's knights when they learn she is a demon lord? Did she have a reason not to kill them, to keep the secret safe?
I want to know why/how a vampire can use such powerful holy magic without any effects.
→ Wait, so Luminous not only “knows” where Rimuru (Hinata?) is, but can also teleport there at will—even though she herself has never been to Tempest? It's best not to anger Rimuru. She basically has her own big “I win” button right there.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 3 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
